Cabbages & Kingshttps://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com
Food, and some Other StuffSun, 24 Sep 2017 16:03:18 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngCabbages & Kingshttps://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com
Scooby Snackshttps://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/18/scooby-snacks/
https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/18/scooby-snacks/#respondFri, 18 Aug 2017 15:16:04 +0000http://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/?p=5024]]>We’ve all been there. And before I even describe what I mean by that, you might already have an idea, judging solely from the title. The picture I’m about to paint for you doesn’t point to any one occasion specifically, but it’s certainly a little autobiographical

Normally, we put a good amount of work into planning a party, shindig, get-together, whatever you want to call it. Stock up on booze (also non-alcoholic drinks, but come on), collect firewood, make sure lawn chairs are a thing that exist, get a playlist together with as much death metal as you think you can actually get away with, all the essentials. As anyone could expect, snacks play a crucial role in all social gatherings, large and small. I tend to lean on the side of spending the day/morning of the party getting some really good munchies togethers. Maybe it’s your famous chicken wings, maybe it’s a crock pot full of cocktail franks and barbecue sauce (my mom also adds grape jelly, but that’s beside the point); The point being that when you’re hosting company, you normally go a bit above and beyond on your snack game.

Music is finally playing after a solid hour of figuring out what’s wrong with the Bluetooth on your phone; Friends, family, coworkers or a mix of all three start slowly trickling in; The designated bin for empties begins it’s inevitable overflow; Somebody “definitely doesn’t mind being that guy” and is the first to hit the food table. As the evening goes on, the fire is lit (not in the way that kids these days mean) and the excitement and attendance both start to dwindle. Conversations will either turn to that shitty thing that happened at work last week, or some kind of political conversation that you’re all already on the same side of. The witching hour draws near, somebody is passed out on a chair or a couch, and you decide that everything can get picked up in the morning even though you sworeyou’d deal with it then and there. As you finally make your way to bed, you take one last peek at the food table and wonder who brought this or that before grabbing one last bite and stumbling off.

That last moment of “fuck it, why not?” is what I wanted to hone in on this week. That one perfect bite that still tastes good after way longer at outdoor temperatures than it’s ever meant to be and after more alcohol than your ever should have.

7 Layer Dip, one of the all-time classic when it comes to summertime parties. An amalgamation of all things vaguely Tex-Mex, you can pretty much build your dip however you like: Something meaty, something starchy, a couple spicy salsa-like things, cheese, and a good dollop of sour cream for good measure. Note: NEVER build your dip in a beaker. It was really the only way I could think to get a good shot of all the layers, but it made it borderline impossible to actually eat.

Combine pork and stock in a pressure cooker. Seal and set to 15psi. Cook for 30 minutes once full pressure has been reached. Let pressure release naturally, or run cool water over the lid. Strain pork from liquid, reserving liquid. In a small pot, combine cooking liquid, achiote and adobo. Cook until thick, 5-7 minutes. Toss pork with glaze, shredding as you go.

Refried Beans

Beef Stock, 1200g or 2qt

Pinto Beans, dried, 1lb

Pork Fat or butter, 30g

Combine ingredients in a pressure cooker. Seal and set to 15psi. Cook for 60 minutes once full pressure has been reached. Let pressure release naturally, or run cool water over the lid. Transfer beans and liquid to a food processor and process until smooth, add water as needed.

Pico de Gallo

Tomato, diced, 125g

Red Onion, minced, 50g

Jalapeno, minced, 5g (seeds optional)

Cilantro, minced, 3g

Juice of 1 lime

Kosher Salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients. Season to taste with salt.

Queso

Beer or Water, 69g

Sodium Citrate, 8g

Pepper Jack Cheese, grated, 8oz

In a medium pot, combine beer or water and sodium citrate. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add cheese in small batches, whisking until fully melted between additions.

To Assemble

In a large baking dish or pie plate, layer carnitas, refried beans, mashed avocado or guacamole, pico de gallo, queso, and sour cream, topping with a layer of scallions, parsley, cilantro, or a mixture of herbs.

]]>https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/18/scooby-snacks/feed/0ehodetIMG_6182How can you be NEARLY headless?https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/04/how-can-you-be-nearly-headless/
https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/04/how-can-you-be-nearly-headless/#respondFri, 04 Aug 2017 16:37:34 +0000http://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/?p=4948]]>So as you may or may not have noticed, I’ve haven’t really written anything in over a month now. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to; Writing has always given me a good way to de-stress and get my ideas out on the page when my brain works faster than I’d like it to. Work has just gotten super busy lately, and pretty much all of my free time has been taking up just trying to recuperate. On the plus side, being busy at work is something I really enjoy, and not something I’ve had since moving from the Burlington area last fall, so it’s nice to have that rush of adrenaline back into my daily routine. But I’ve been kicking myself for not keeping up with getting things written. I’ve still been plugging away at Reddit’s 52 Weeks of Cooking Challenge and if you’ve been following along on Instagram or Facebook, I’ve had some fun working up some recipes with Berries, Garlic, and Vanilla, as well as some Dim Sum and Charcuterie.

This week was an especially fun theme for the challenge: Inspired by Magic. This year we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone in the UK, and on Monday the Boy Who Lived celebrated his 37th birthday. Growing up, I was immediately enthralled by the series. Vast, fantastic landscapes and settings, deep character development, and the exploration of ideas and lessons that still resonate to this day. I want to get a big, non-food-related piece written for the US 20th anniversary next year, but that’s still quite a way away.

The wizarding world is full of amazing foods; Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Treacle Tarts, chocolates, candies, you name it. I’ve never had a super strong arsenal of dessert recipes, but in the past year or two I’ve definitely made some leaps and bounds. While desserts would have been a fairly easy route to go, I dug deep for a cool recipe that would kind of push my boundaries in a different direction.

The morning of Halloween, 1492, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington was set to be executed, having attempted to cast a tooth-straightening spell on an assistant of King Henvry VII the previous evening. After 47 hacks into his neck with a blunt axe, Sir Nicholas’ head was left dangling from his body by no more than an inch of flesh. Returning as a ghost, “Nearly-Headless” Nick took up residence as the ghost of Gryffindor Tower at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.

To commemorate his 500th Deathday, Sir Nicholas held a party and feast in “one of the roomier dungeons” at Hogwarts, inviting the main trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, as well as a host of notable deceased: the Bloody Baron, the Fat Friar, the Grey Lady, the Wailing Widow, Peeves and Moaning Myrtle. It would go without saying that ghosts can’t eat or taste food, so the menu consisted of food smelling so foul they could almost taste it: Moldy bread, stinking salmon, fungus-covered peanuts, and the pièce de résistance, Maggoty Haggis.

Haggis is one of those dishes that, whether or not you’ve eaten it, you’d probably assume is super disgusting. It kind of has that reputation of being a bunch of gross things (organ meats) stuffed into an even grosser thing (stomach) and cooked for a thousand years. I was lucky enough to get a bunch of offal from Howvale Farm, so I figured it was time to finally try this out for myself.

When it comes down to it, haggis is largely similar to black pudding: a loosely bound meat sausage with oats. I took lamb heart, liver and tongue and simmered them in a bit of beef stock until tender, then ground it together with some onion and spices. Oats and the cooking liquid bring it together into a workable dough (I don’t know if that’s the word I mean). Not having a stomach to stuff the mixture into, I baked it off like a meatloaf until browned and crispy.

Admittedly, I was certain that this was going to be as gross as it’s always made out to be. But one bite in and I was singing a different tune. Super savory, fatty, and delicious; Imagine if your favorite meatloaf had a baby with leftover Thanksgiving stuffing. As far as the “maggoty” aspect goes, I had a package of barbecue-seasoned larva that I got for Christmas, which provided a nice salty crunch. Now that I know how great this dish itself is, I think I’m going to start looking for a stomach to try it again.

Haggis
makes 1 loaf

Liver*, 8 ounces

Heart*, 8 ounces

Tongue*, 8 ounces

Beef Stock, 2 quarts

Vidalia Onion, 4 each

Pork Lard or Beef Suet, 8 ounces, diced

Rolled Oats (not instant), 8 ounces

Sage, dried, 1 tablespoon

Allspice, ground, 2 tablespoons

Coriander, ground, 2 teaspoons

Kosher Salt & ground Black Pepper, to taste

Maggots, to garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F. In a medium-sized pot, combine heart, liver, tongue, 1 chopped onion and beef stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender. Remove meat from stock. Roughly chop heat and liver. Remove membrane from tongue and roughly chop. Process meat, 3 chopped onions and fat through medium die of a meat grinder**. Add oats and spices to meat mixture, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Add enough cooking liquid to the mixture to form a workable dough. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly grease. Transfer meat mixture to baking sheet and form into a tight loaf. Bake at 425F 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

*Organ meats from any animal can be used, but you want about 1.5lb total
**If you don’t have a meat grinder, you can also coarsly grind using a food processor

]]>https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/04/how-can-you-be-nearly-headless/feed/0ehodetIMG_6108Forgiveness is Divinehttps://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/22/forgiveness-is-divine/
https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/22/forgiveness-is-divine/#respondThu, 22 Jun 2017 14:56:00 +0000http://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/?p=4880]]>I’ve eaten many pizzas in my quarter century on this planet. I know most people have eaten plenty of pizza, I wouldn’t claim to be unique in that. But I’ve eaten a lot of pizza. When I was a kid, there was almost nothing better than plopping down in front of the TV for Saturday morning cartoons and a Red Baron breakfast pizza (now sadly discontinued). In elementary school, I would long for pizza day in the cafeteria, despite being subject to the rectangular, near-crustless grease bombs. High school got a little better in that regard, upgrading closer to a New York style, complete with optional red pepper flakes and Parmesan. College brought be within spitting distance of NYC, where I could gorge myself on Ray’s while wandering the unfamiliar terrain. I’ve even spent some time in Italy, sampling the classical Neapolitan style from traditional brick ovens (I will throw it out there the the best pizza I had was at a small shop in the town square of Siena, and came topped with hot dogs and French fries).

Growing up on the east coast, you pretty much get whatever is frozen at the grocery store, or a version similar to New York-style. While delicious in it’s own right, I’m of the opinion that Deep Dish and Chicago styles are casserole and not pizza, so we won’t touch on that. Since moving last fall, I’ve been making a lot of pizza at home. This largely, if not entirely, due to the local grocery store carrying Everything Bagel pizza dough from Portland Pie Co. They have garlic dough, basil dough, Shipyard Ale dough, but Everything Bagel is the one that really grabbed me. It was months later that I discovered I had been playing in the sandbox that is California-style pizza.

California cuisine came into it’s own in the late 1970’s and early 80’s, and California-style pizza follow shortly after. Popularized by Wolfgang Puck, the style builds from a personal-sized crust with similar structure to Neapolitan. From there, we throw out the rule book; Any combination of complimentary flavors spanning world cuisines, utilizing farm fresh vegetables and local cheeses, and generally a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan options. When I started making pizzas, my only real goal was to move away from traditional red-sauce-based pies, and I was also trying to work on more vegetarian dishes to save a bit of money on meat; Pretty much falling perfectly into the California style without ever really meaning to.

]]>https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/22/forgiveness-is-divine/feed/0ehodet16228543_1384907291553894_5635585008950312960_n16790086_778822822268193_6768532742377308160_n17077589_1738578493138511_8911718064416882688_n17127289_644094059110834_4049410817253179392_n18644877_1837836836478772_1163627586765455360_n17333207_394041167635812_3185024146144755712_n17596000_681461398722981_8388758100517060608_n17662519_277902299319326_2073032442918207488_n17818854_1503369433019112_2247413097297870848_nIMG_5730Surprise, Surprisehttps://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/10/surprise-surprise/
https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/10/surprise-surprise/#respondSat, 10 Jun 2017 13:16:51 +0000http://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/?p=4804]]>Sometimes, you find a dish that just clicks; However it works, it works for you. This brings us, totally unsurprisingly, to what might be my favorite food of all time: The Reuben Sandwich. A few years back I wrote about my love for Reubens. But even before Cabbages & Kings was a thought in my head, I had briefly mentioned the affinity on a much shittier and somehow-less-followed blog I wrote at the time. I could literally go on and on about how much I love this sandwich, but for the sake of brevity I won’t.

What I’m really getting at is that the combination works across near-infinite formats: Pizza, Tacos, Nachos, Egg Rolls, Lasagna. If there’s a dish you can think of, I’m sure somebody has figured out a way to put corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese and Russian dressing on it. Of the countless Reubens and Reuben-adjacent dishes I’ve had, I’ve never had one quite like this.

Reuben on a stick? Sign me up. As far as food-on-a-stick goes, the classic Corn Dog is pretty run of the mill. Fixing it up into a Reuben taking a bit of extra effort, but it is well worth it.

Corned beef, surprisingly, doesn’t work quite so well on a skewer. Depending on what cut you get, I find it’s either too tender to hold shape well or too tough to get a good bite off while leaving it attached. I opted for kielbasa instead. For the batter, rye and caraway are a no-brainer. Shredded swiss in the batter could work really well, but I didn’t like the way the final product looked, so I nixed it altogether. A little kraut, a little Russian (Thousand Island, only if you insist), and you’re good to go.

Preheat frying oil to 375F. Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients, mixing to combine. Combine wet and dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Transfer batter to a tall container. Pat sausage dry with a paper towel and skewer onto stick or toothpicks. Dip sausages into batter, up to 1/4 inch onto the stick. While holding the stick, fry sausages until batter begins to set, about 10 seconds. Drop into oil and continue cooking until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Top with Russian dressing and sauerkraut.

Russian Dressing
makes about 3/4 cup

Mayonnaise, 1/2 cup

American Chili Sauce, 1 tablespoon

Parsley, minced, 1 tablespoon

Yellow Onion, minced, 1 teaspoon

Horseradish, grated, 1/2 teaspoon

Worcestershire Sauce, 1/4 teaspoon

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients. Allow to sit overnight or at least 12 hours.

]]>https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/10/surprise-surprise/feed/0ehodetIMG_5626Bangkok Breakfasthttps://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/02/bangkok-breakfast/
https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/02/bangkok-breakfast/#respondFri, 02 Jun 2017 14:21:46 +0000http://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/?p=4743]]>Since probably the mid 80’s, Thai cuisine has seen an explosion of popularity, likely due to a booming post-war tourism industry in Southeast Asia. As all popular things do, Thai cuisine was quickly adopted as the trendy go-to cuisine in America, built to excess, and generally ruined. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good dish of Pad Thai as much as the next person might. But a vast difference can be found from one pad thai to another. Generally, when seeking out foreign cuisines, look for recipes that aren’t written in english.

Thailand is host to a litany of amazing dishes exemplifying the core four flavors of their cuisine: sweet, sour, salty, and spicy. One thing that people don’t necessarily think about, however (maybe I can’t speak for you, but I’ve really never considered it), is what breakfast looks like in this part of the world. Rice and noodles are all well and good, but when it comes to the most important meal of the day I’ll usually reach for something a bit more familiar.

Pa Thong Ko are a Thai version of a traditional Chinese-style cruller. Crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside; They’re almost more similar to the fried bread dough you’d get from a dirty cart at the county fair. Served with coconut jam (which is really a custard), you can see the influence from French colonialism, much the same way that the Banh Mi came about in Vietnam.

According to Thai tradition, the traditional X shaped fritters represent two inseparable lovers, always seen together. In stark contrast, Chinese tradition recounts a tale of two evil men who were put to death in boiling oil.

Combine all ingredients except baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on medium speed for 8 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and lightly coat top of dough with oil. Cover with a towel and allow to rise 4-5 hours. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and lightly dust flour over dough. Sprinkle baking powder over dough. Fold and knead about 4 times. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut to desired shapes.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat 4-5 inches of vegetable oil to 350F. Fry dough until deep brown and crispy, 1-2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil

Combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk vigorously until thick and creamy. Meanwhile, heat coconut milk, pandan and salt in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. While whisking, add 1/3 of the hot coconut milk to the egg yolk mixture. Continue whisking until full incorporated. While whisking, add egg mixture to remaining coconut milk. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking very frequently, until sauce is thick, about 5-8 minutes. Once thick, immediately remove from heat, transfer sauce to a bowl or other container and refrigerate until cooled completely.

]]>https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/02/bangkok-breakfast/feed/0ehodetIMG_5528It’s more than Lunchhttps://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/26/its-more-than-lunch/
https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/26/its-more-than-lunch/#respondFri, 26 May 2017 15:19:42 +0000http://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/?p=4671]]>As you may or may not have noticed, I’ve been taking kind of a hiatus from my writing. As opposed to 2015 where I took an extended break to work through some personal issues, this was more from wanting to do new and exciting things. As I mentioned at the end of last year, I had a few different ideas about projects I wanted to work on and write about, so I wanted to step away from 52 Weeks of Cooking Challenge. I started working my way through the Mighty Marvel Superhero’s Cookbook, however after a fewquickposts I realized that it really wasn’t stimulating in the way that I thought it would be. Part of what I really love about writing is that it gives me a chance to look into new topics or ideas that I may not have thought about before. Making pancakes and frying eggs really wasn’t pushing any boundaries.

So while I dropped that format, I really didn’t have anything to put into its place. I’ve buckled down at work and put out some really fun food, but I’ve still been wracking my brain for something that grabs my interest and makes me want to write again. I looked at the 52 Weeks Challenge subreddit just to see what had been going on in the couple months I hadn’t been participating and it immediately grabbed me the same way it did almost 4 years ago now. I’ve always felt like I do better work when I’m given a ball park to play in. A lot of times it’s hard for me to come up with something out of the blue, but if somebody says “What about [XYZ]?” it seems to get my creativity flowing in one direction or another. So, at least for now, I think I’ll pick back up where I left off. I’ve missed out on nearly half the year, but you’ve got to start somewhere.

The theme of the week is presentation: Practicing one of the most crucial aspects of cooking, certainly in the professional realm if not in the home. Presentation can be as simple or as complex as your ambition permits. It could be as easy as slicing a nicely cooked steak before putting it on the plate or a sprinkling of complementary herbs on top of a lasagna, or you can bust out the tweezers and pipettes a la Chef’s Table.

With little effort, it’s easy to make food look as good as it tastes. It also doesn’t take much make delicious food that doesn’t look at all appetizing. The real skill, it could be said, would be to take food that may not taste all that great and make it look irresistible. Chef Jacques La Merde became an Instagram sensation for that exact approach, and I felt it would only be fair to try my hand at it.

For all intents and purposes, this is a Lunchable. Ham and Cheddar with Crackers, to be exact. Oscar Mayer ham, Kraft cheddar. I made the crackers myself, only because I had the ingredients and I was a little bit broke, but other than that it’s the same ingredients you’d find in the fridge in the bright yellow box. [Side note: When did they stop putting chocolates and candies in Lunchables? What the fuck?]

I did deviate slightly from an exact Lunchable, so I wasn’t entirely sure how much it would really evoke the childhood memories, but it really, really did. There’s something about the taste of low-quality ham and low-quality cheese that never really leaves your mind.

Combine ingredients in a small sauce pot. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until cheese is fully melted, about 15 minutes.

Ritz-Style Crackers
makes 1 sheet

All-Purpose Flour, 2 cups

Baking Powder, 3 teaspoons

White Sugar, 1 tablespoon

Kosher Salt, 1/2 teaspoon, plus more as needed

Butter, unsalted, cold, 6 tablespoons

Vegetable Oil, 2 tablespoons

Cold Water, as needed

Egg, beaten, 1 each

Preheat oven to 400F. Add flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt to the food processor and pulse to combine. Add cold butter in small increments, and pulse to combine. With food processor running, add vegetable oil slowly. Add water a little bit at a time while pulsing, until dough just comes together. On a floured surface, roll dough out as thin as you can, adding more flour if needed when it sticks. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a fork, poke holes across the entire dough. Brush dough with eggwash and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Bake 400F until crispy and lightly browned, rotating every 10 minutes, about 25 minutes. Allow to slightly before breaking into pieces.

]]>https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/26/its-more-than-lunch/feed/0ehodetIMG_5465With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilityhttps://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/23/with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility/
https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/23/with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility/#commentsThu, 23 Mar 2017 14:19:20 +0000http://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/?p=4599]]>I think it probably goes without saying that having the web-slinger in the MCU is going to be super exciting. After years of lousy films featuring your friendly neighborhood Spiderman, one last reboot of the character might just be what they need to keep thing on the right track. With the brief glimpse of Tom Holland we got in Civil War, I have high hopes for Homecoming and beyond.

Next up in Mighty Marvel Superheroes’ Cookbook is probably the most simplistic recipe I’ve ever written about on C&K. Two instructions, no ingredients. Seriously.

When I first got this book. This recipe was the way I would describe it to people; Step One: Make Pancakes.

Please ignore my mediocre artistic talents.

Needless to say, this will work with whatever pancake recipe you like and whatever chocolate sauce you have on hand. It’s really that simple.

Pancakes, from Chefsteps

Pastry Flour, 200 grams*

Granulated Sugar, 30 grams

Malted Milk Powder, 20 grams (optional)

Baking Powder, 12 grams

Kosher Salt, 6 grams

Whole Milk, 240 grams

Eggs, whole 108 grams (2 each)

Butter, unsalted, melted, 60 grams

Sift together dry ingredients. Whisk together milk and eggs and combine with dry ingredients, mixing just enough to combine. Add melted butter and mix just enough to combine evenly. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add batter, about 1/4 cup at a time. Allow to cook on the first side until bubbles begins to form around the edges. Using a spatula, flip pancake and continue cooking 1-2 minutes (if you’re feeling daring, flip that badboy right in the pan).

*If you don’t have pastry flour, you can substitute 176g All-Purpose Flour and 24g Corn starch

Using the same pancake batter, we can knock another recipe out pretty quickly.

The only glimpse we’ve seen of a cinematic Galactus is in the 2005 Fantastic 4 adaptation where he appears as a cosmic hurricane, rather than a physical being. However, gigantic, stuffed pancakes are certainly a breakfast worthy of the devourer of planet.

The Cookbook offers a few suitable suggestions for filling these mammoth pancakes, but I went with the same formula I use for building the ultimate breakfast sandwich: meat, cheese, egg, something sweet, something spicy.

]]>https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/23/with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility/feed/1ehodetcookbook02IMG_4980galactus-he-man-pancakesIMG_4991It’s Clobberin’ Time!https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/its-clobberin-time/
https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/its-clobberin-time/#commentsThu, 09 Mar 2017 16:48:25 +0000http://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/?p=4530]]>I’m still really not sure how to get into this style of writing. With a regular cookbook, I could write about the chef themselves, the history of the recipe I’m working on, or maybe what I think of their ideas on food and why they do certain things certain ways. But The Mighty Marvel Superheroes’ Cookbook is a bit different. The recipes are all super basic, and it really barely has anything to do with the characters at all. I’m just going to kind of wing it and see how it goes, sound good?

Ben Grimm, better known as the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing: One-time leader of the Yancy Street Gang, military aviator, NASA astronaut, founding member of the Fantastic Four. Growing up in a Jewish family in the Lower East Side of New York City, Grimm’s early life was based largely on that of creator Jack Kirby. Along with Reed Richards and Susan and Johnny Storm, Grimm was exposed to high levels of cosmic radiation, mutating his physical appearance, as well has giving him superhuman strength, stamina, and resistance to injury.

In addition to being one of the characters most beloved by fans, The Thing is even one of the more popular characters in-canon; Heroes from across the Marvel universe were more than happy to attend his Bar Mitzvah (yes, The Thing had a Bar Mitzvah) and the subsequent poker tournament.

Blushing Ben makes a few appearances throughout the Cookbook, the first of which being his Clobbered Omelet.

Pretty straightforward with this one. When you get down to it, it more closely resembles a frittata, but cooked on the stovetop rather than baked.

The Thing’s Clobbered Omelet

serves 4-6*

Butter, unsalted, 4 tablespoons

Poblano Pepper, seeded, diced, 1 each

Red Bell Pepper, seeded, diced, 1 each

Yellow Onion, small, diced, 1 each

Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced, 8 ounces

Mixed Vegetables**, about 1 cup

Eggs, 12 each

Heavy Cream, 1/2 cup

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

Cheddar Cheese, shredded, about 1/2 cup

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add all vegetables, cook until tender and lightly browned. While vegetables are cooking, combine eggs and cream. Season with salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Increase skillet to high heat. Add egg mixture over vegetables and top with cheese. Cook until egg begins to set around the edges. Using a rubber spatula, gently pull cooked egg towards the center of the pan, allowing uncooked egg to fill the empty space. Continue pulling the cooked eggs this way until no uncooked eggs remain, about 4-5 minutes. Carefully slide or flip eggs onto a serving plate or platter. Cut into wedges, serve hot.

*If you’re not serving a crowd, feel free to cook the veggies and advance and store in the fridge. For a single serving, I used about 1/2 cup of the veggie mix, 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons of cream and just a sprinkle of cheese.

**If good, fresh vegetables are in season, definitely go with your favorite mix of fresh veggies. I used a frozen blend from the grocery store.

]]>https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/its-clobberin-time/feed/1ehodetBen-Grimm---The-ThingThingScan11885omeletIMG_4941Heroic Breakfasthttps://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/02/heroic-breakfast/
https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/02/heroic-breakfast/#commentsThu, 02 Mar 2017 19:27:34 +0000http://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/?p=4464]]>Excelsior! As promised, I’ve finally got around to finishing up the first piece in a new series of cook-the-book style posts! First at-bat is Stan Lee Presents the Mighty Marvel Superheroes Cookbook.

The book begins with a brief introduction and some basic tips on safety and kitchen cleanliness. Then, as any good morning would, delves into some breakfast.

A wise man once said “There has never been a sadness that can’t be cured by breakfast food” and a trip to your local diner will prove that every time. While studies have more or less debunked the conventional wisdom that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, starting your morning with good food is a great way to set the tone for the rest of the day.

With Captain America’s Day Starters, we get a few different options for easy, healthy and delicious kick start.

‘Fresh fruit or fruit juice. Lots of vitamins C and A’

I’ve wrote on here a few times about how great smoothies can be for breakfast. Blend up your favorite mix of fruits and veggies with some juice or milk (I also like to throw some type of sea vegetable in the mix) and you’re ready to go. Once you blend your mix, you can freeze it in an ice cube tray to make things even easier while you’re still groggy. This particular blend I threw together features banana, pineapple, orange, mango and sweet potato.

‘Milk is the best source of calcium. It’s need for strong bones and teeth. It also supplies protein – essential building blocks for our bodies’

Milk is certainly nutritious, if not a little bit weird as a concept, but yogurt has even more calcium and is loaded with beneficial bacteria. Mixed with granola and some fresh fruit, it makes for a hearty, protein-packed breakfast.

‘Bread or cereal, lots of variations in this department’

For simplicity, flavor and customization, look no further than Avocado Toast, loaded with Omega 3 fats and complex carbohydrates. The only two things you need are in the name itself. Apart from avocado and toasted bread, the possibilities are near endless. The folks over that The Kitchn have a great piece to get your creative juices going; Here, I’ve got 12 grain bread with butter and sesame seeds, mashed avocado, and thinly sliced cucumber tossed with salt, pepper, chili flake and lime juice.

Now, for those looking for a more traditional American-style breakfast, look no further than Hulk’s Fried Potatoes with Bacon and Eggs

This dish needs little explanation, if any at all. Bacon, eggs, toast, breakfast potatoes; Maybe some coffee, if you’re so inclined. I will give one little trick I recently picked up while working mainly breakfast shifts: par-boil your potatoes with onions and garlic. This cooks them through, so when you fry ’em up they’ll be soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. It’s the same principle to making great French Fries.

In Our Next Exciting Issue…

The Thing’s Clobbered Omelet

]]>https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/02/heroic-breakfast/feed/1ehodetscn_0022img_4838img_4825img_4829img_4843Face Front, True Believers!https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/31/face-front-true-believers/
https://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/31/face-front-true-believers/#respondTue, 31 Jan 2017 20:09:31 +0000http://cabbagesandkingsblog.wordpress.com/?p=4377]]>Happy New Year everyone! As I’m sure you may have noticed, I’ve been taking a bit of a break from writing. Not that I haven’t wanted to, but I’ve been trying to get back into some other hobbies I’ve dropped off from in the past couple years. I’ve got a couple good books under my belt this month, finished my first run through Borderlands 2, and caught up on Game of Thrones and Doctor Who (definitely going to be missing Capaldi after this next season).

By and large, what I’ve written here for a few years have been submissions for Reddit’s 52 Weeks of Cooking Challenge. It’s certainly a fun challenge, and helps keep the creative juices flowing. Now that I’m gearing back up to write again, I want to do something a bit different. I’ve always really liked the idea of picking up a cookbook and just going straight through it, one recipe after another. Maggie Mariolis does a great series on Serious Eats titled Cook the Book, which follows that basic idea. You’re probably also familiar with Julie Powell’s Julie & Julia.

With stacks of cookbooks taller than I am, it was hard to narrow down one book kick off the new project(s). I have a few good books on meat preparation (including a wonderful read on organs and spare parts in general), a few antiquated books with interesting preparations people don’t see anymore, and a handful of Novelties like the Epic Meal Time cookbook (where portion sizes are often categorized ‘Feeds 6 puny humans or 1 Muscles Glasses). To ease myself into this kind of writing and cooking, I ended up picking a simple book, with a smattering of interesting recipes, and one that I’m sure will get plenty of fanservice (myself included)

Stan Lee Presents: The Mighty Marvel Superheroes’ Cookbook

I got this book as a gift from my brother one year for Christmas, an original copy from 1977. It’s certainly an interesting book, to say the least. When I describe it to people, I normally say it has very little to do with food and even less to do with Marvel.

The artwork speaks for itself, as you can see from the cover. Joe Giella, known for his inking (depth and shading over an original sketch) work during the Golden Age on Human Torch and Submariner for Marvel and Flash, Green Lantern and Black Canary for DC.

A bit campy, sure, but lots of Golden Age comics were like that.

Recipes were created Jody Cameron Malis, a cookbook editor who largely worked on tie-in cookbooks such as The Newlywed Game Cookbook and The Dark Shadows Cookbook. As with the art, the recipes speak for themselves.

Not exactly what you might call high cuisine. Unfortunately, a large portion of the recipes in the book are like this. Even the recipes named for Marvel characters suffer from a lack of creativity, to put it lightly. The first instruction in the recipe for ‘Spidey’s Chocolate Web Pancakes’ is literally just to make pancakes. No joke.

This may seem like a strange choice to start out a whole cookbook worth of posts and recipes, but I’ve figured out how to make it fun and interesting while still keeping in the spirit of the original.

First: I’ll only be cooking the named recipes through the book. That is to say, the recipes that are named after a specific character. There are countless pages of garbage-y recipes that I don’t want to waste the time and money on. Second: Rather than following those recipes exactly as they’re written, I’m going to be making an upgraded version of the same thing.

When it’s all said and done, here’s the recipes we’ll be looking at over the course of the next few months (or the rest of the year, I don’t really know how long this is going to take me)

Captain America’s Day Starters

Hulk’s Fried Potatoes with Bacon and Eggs

The Thing’s Clobbered Omelet

Spidey’s Chocolate Web Pancakes

Wasp’s Fruit Bowl

Hawkeye’s Corned Beef Hash

Galactus’ ‘He-Man’ Pancakes

Sumariner’s Submarine

Torch’s Fireball

Hulk’s Sloppy Joe

Spidey’s Parmigiani

Captain America’s Americana Hero

Shang-Chi’s Kung Fu Burger

Torch’s Char Burger

Thor’s Thunderburg

The Hulkburger

Mr. Fantastic’s Big Jaw Breaker

Panther’s Snack with Chips

Thor’s Asgardian Vegetable Soup

Iron Man’s Splendid Split Pea Soup

Silver Surfer’s Surfboard Sensation

Ka-Zar Steak Kabobs

Super Meat Loaf ‘Goliath Style’

Thor’s Cabbage Rolls

Dr. Strange’s Mysterious Stew

‘Be-Deviled’ Swiss Steak

Submariner’s Magnificent Tuna Bake

Hulk’s Jumbo Shrimp in a Basket

Spider-Man’s Catch Seafood Platter

Powerman’s Fillet of Sole

Daredevil’s Deviled Dip

Iron Man’s Special Salad

Ms. Fantastic Short Cakes

Dare Devil’s Food Cake

Hulk’s Applesauce Cake

The Angel’s Heavenly Angel Cake

Captain America’s Double Cracker Jack Cake

Shang-Chi’s Peaches and Cream Cake

Spidey’s Vanilla Cheesecake

Dr. Strange’s Cinnamon Raisin Bars

Shang-Chi’s Fortune Cookies

Side note: The ‘Jolly Sandwich Maker!’ is my favorite picture from the book. So much so that I actually got it as a tattoo a few years back.